Letter to the editor: Oppression starts with gun registration

Monday, March 4, 2013 - 9:00 am

One of the main causes of the American colonies to rebel against the British was their seizing of citizens’ guns. So it is with totalitarian governments — Adolf Hitler, Castro, Stalin, Mao. Hitler did not have to worry about an armed uprising of Jews as they were disarmed. This process starts with the registration of citizens’ guns and is followed by confiscation. Castro shot the people who did not turn in the guns registered to them.

Other well-meaning governments have confiscated citizens’ guns with terrible results. Australia called in private firearms of all types. They discovered that criminals did not turn in their guns. Home invasion burglaries are up by 1,000 percent — nothing to stop them. If you have a gun in Britain and shot an armed burglar, it is you who goes to prison.

In Switzerland, however, all males aged 17-55 are in the Army Reserves are required to have automatic weapons and ammunition in their homes, and practice with them regularly. Home burglaries are almost unknown here. Their overall crime rates are very low and they vigorously prosecute criminals.